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Filmmaker Jonathan Demme, a Nyack resident who won an Oscar for directing "The Silence of Lambs" in 1991, died Wednesday morning at the age of 73.

The cause of death was esophageal cancer and complications from heart disease,
according to IndieWire
. He was originally treated for the disease in 2010, but suffered from a recurrence in 2015, and his condition deteriorated in recent weeks,
according to IndieWire
.

Aside from "Silence of the Lambs," Demme directed films like "Philadelphia," "Something Wild," "Married To The Mob," and "Rachel Getting Married."

His Talking Heads concert film "Stop Making Sense" is considered one of the best music documentaries of all time. He also made documentaries on Neil Young, Jimmy Carter, and Justin Timberlake.

Demme was a regular patron of the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. He hosted series like "Saddle Up Saturdays" and "Jonathan Demme's Rarely Seen Cinema." He was elected to the Board of Directors in 2006.